MANHATTAN, Kan. - K-State head football coach Bill Snyder and selected players met with the media on Tuesday to talk about spring practice.

Spring Football Press ConferenceApril 19, 2011

Head Coach Bill Snyder On the health of wide receiver Tramaine Thompson…“He is fine. He has had to feel his way back, as had Brodrick (Smith), but he is doing quite well now.”

On a certain position standing out this spring…“I do not know if I could necessarily say it has been one over the other. What enters into that is kind of a lack of consistency. There are days where you look at one group and you can say that they really did well. You are looking for continued improvement and the following day the same group does not improve and does not play as well as they had the previous day. So it is the inconsistency that prevents me from saying that a certain group has made consistent improvement throughout the spring. But I like the direction that we are going collectively right now. ”

On the team’s improvements throughout the spring…“Since we met a week ago, I think that we have taken some steps forward. We have shown at certain times that the consistency is not there. But I have seen us perform better on offense. I have seen us run the ball with more consistency, but it has been consistency on a given day but then it is not there on the next day. I have seen us throw the ball a little bit better. I have seen us make fewer mistakes, so the execution has become a little bit better. The last half of yesterday’s practice was a scrimmage day for us and our defense preformed probably the best that it has all spring. So they have made some continued improvement. But I as I said, it is still up and down. But I think that we are further along right now than we were at the onset of spring practice. “

On the current state of the offensive line…“They are consistently inconsistent like everyone else. I think that they have their good days and they have their bad days. I think that B.J. Finney and Shaun Simon are competitive for the center spot. B.J. has really stepped up and done quite well. Shaun is behind a little bit because he is new to the program. But as he learns, he continues to get better and better. He is an awfully good worker, as is B.J. As far as the guard spots, Keenan Taylor has gotten better throughout the course of the spring. He and Tomasi Mariner are very competitive for one of those inside guard spots. With our tackles, we have some experience there, so there is a three-way competition between the two that are in the starting spots and Zach Hanson. But Cornelius Lucas is making some improvement, which gives us some stability and depth at those positions.”

On freshman B.J. Finney…“He gives us great effort. He always tries to do the right thing and tries to be competitive in every single snap he takes. He is an intelligent young guy who learns quite well. Most people who go through a redshirt year, there is that tendency to not stay attentive in the classroom and to not stay as forceful or competitive on the field because it is not “their year.” Their year will be coming and when that time arrives, they will turn it on. But in doing that, you lose so much; you lose your opportunity to get better and better. But B.J. did not do that. He took advantage of his opportunity and I appreciate him a great deal for that.”

On the play of the defensive line…“I think we are making some headway. Again, I go back to yesterday where our defensive line played so well in those 38 snaps that we had. I think the effort is getting better and better. There is a little greater consistency in terms of their effort. You find them around the ball more frequently now than before. There is still a long ways to go but I think that they are moving in the right direction. ”

On defensive end Brandon Harold…“In terms of on the field, he has solidified what we knew that he was capable of doing. He has been a reasonable aggressive pass rusher and that continues to be present. He is a good effort player; when the ball is snapped he is going to play hard. He probably needs to be a little more focused and disciplined to allow him not to make the mechanical mistakes that get him out of position, which happens from time to time because of his desire to make plays. But I think that just comes with repetition and certainly with some discipline on his part as well.”

Wide Receiver Tramaine ThompsonOn rehabbing his injured ankle…“I was up here three or four times a day. Anytime that I could come in here between classes, I was here trying to get my leg right because I wanted to play in the bowl game.”

On the rehabilitation process…“I would come in here in the morning and do a little contrast between the hot and the cold tub. I would do some stretching. I was trying to get some more strength back in my calf because it was really weak because I had not been on it for awhile.”

On the wide receiver corps…“I think we can do a lot of things to make plays as a receiving corps because we have a lot of experience and size returning. I think those things will be big for us this year. “

On his improvement last spring…“It was just getting a little more confident in the offense. When we started spring ball last year, I was just making plays. A lot of this offense is just feeling it, so once you start getting more accustomed to it you just gel a little better with the quarterbacks.”

Wide Receiver Curry SextonOn the transition to being a full-time player …“Coming back in January, after the three or four-month layoff away from being with the team, there was a little bit of a transition period where it was just a matter of getting back in the flow of things, getting used to the speed of the game, and getting into the kind of shape that is required to play at this level. But our training staff and the coaches put you in a position to succeed and to be ready for everything that life and football throws at you. So I think that coming into spring ball, I was ready just like everybody else on this team.”

On his grasp of the offensive scheme…“Our playbook is a complex system. It is just a scheme where you have to know what you are supposed to be doing on the backside of a play. I think that some people struggle with the playbook but you just have to put your mind to it because you really need to focus on learning it. You are the key guy on every play, no matter where you are at. You have to know where you need to be, what to do, how to run your route, who to be blocking because you could be the key guy to spring a back for a touchdown or you might be the outlet pass. So you have to know the little things and you have to be in the right spot on every play or everything can go wrong. You never want to be the guy that busts a play. But for the most part, our coaches have done a great job helping me learn the system in the few months that I have been here. I think that I am getting a good grasp on everything and hopefully I can continue that going into fall camp and into the season.”

Linebacker Blake SlaughterOn wide receiver Tramaine Thompson…“He stands up to the bigger guys. He is not afraid to block bigger guys. He is always a joy to be around.”

On the improvement of the defense this spring...“It feels like we are getting more physical as the spring goes on. Recently, it seems like we have been striking people a lot better.”

On fellow linebacker Arthur Brown…“He has added athleticism. He is an extremely talented player. He is also quiet leader. He is just a great person to be around and a great addition to the defense.